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Democrats got off to an energetic start to their convention on Tuesday, touting the president’s successes and making women’s rights and health care access the centerpieces for the day.

Several speakers including Newark mayor Corey Booker; fair wage activist Lilly Ledbetter; San Antonio mayor Julian Castro; former Ohio governor Ted Strickland; and Maryland governor Mark O’Mally fired up the base by lobbing harsh criticisms at Mitt Romney. But despite the hard hits on the GOP nominee, the most-talked about moments of the night belonged to First Lady Michelle Obama and Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick.

Governor Deval Patrick, the lone black governor serving in office today, gave a fiery speech that set the convention hall and social media networks ablaze. During his address Gov. Patrick excoriated his predecessor, Gov. Romney, for failing to successfully lead Massachusetts.

In a particularly critical moment, Gov. Patrick told the crowd, “Mitt Romney talks a lot about all the things he’s fixed. I can tell you that Massachusetts was not one of them,” He continued, “He’s a fine fellow and a great salesman, but as governor he was a lot more interested in having the job than doing the job.”

Along with attacking Romney, Gov. Patrick implored Democrats to get some “backbone” and refuse to let the president be “bullied out of office” by Super PACs and the Republican machine.

While Gov. Patrick’s speech got Dems worked up, First Lady Michelle Obama’s address both inspired and humanized the Obamas and the challenges many American face.

Looking absolutely stunning in her Tracy Reese dress, Mrs. Obama reintroduced America to the man she loves. During the speech she shared tidbits about their early years when the Obamas were “so in love and so in debt.”

Mrs. Obama also told the audience that she loved President Obama more today than ever before and that he is the perfect man take on the challenges facing the nation.

“The man I see in those quiet moments late at night, hunched over his desk, poring over the letters people have sent him. I see the concern in his eyes … and I hear the determination in his voice as he tells me, ‘You won’t believe what these folks are going through, Michelle. It’s not right. We’ve got to keep working to fix this. We’ve got so much more to do,” she told the crowd.

The First Lady’s speech was not only a hit in the convention hall in Charlotte, it also set records on Twitter. According to Mashable, Mrs. Obama’s speech “drove 28,003 tweets-per-minute at its peak, nearly double the 14,289 mark reached by Mitt Romney‘s acceptance speech at the Republican convention last week.”

Tomorrow, the convention continues with a keynote address from former president Bill Clinton, and wraps up on Thursday with speeches by Vice President Biden and President Obama.